WCSA prepares for academic forum

WCSA crest. Photo courtesy of the owu website.
WCSA crest. Photo courtesy of the owu website.

Give the faculty a piece of your mind.

At the Oct. 26 Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs full senate, senior Meghan Byram invited her fellow senators and the student body as a whole to participate in this year’s academic forum.

The forum will be held on Nov. 3, at noon, in the Benes Rooms. Topics under discussion will include “online class sessions, academics in general and the way we do academic advising,” said Byram.

“This might be only one of the times that students can talk with faculty members in a formal setting” about those issues, Bryam continued. “We are trying to get as many different people as we can to come to this: different students, faculty and student groups.”

The forum will be OWU’s second.

Emma Drongowksi, a senior and vice president of WCSA, also announced that interim Dean of Students Kurt C. Holmes is forming a committee to evaluate the university’s alcohol policy.

He is “looking for some students to be a part of it. If you have strong opinions or want to learn a little more about how we deal with alcohol, you should get involved with that,” Drongowski said.

Senior Jerry Lherisson, president of WCSA, stood up to clarify his partner’s comment.

“We’re not going to have a massive overhaul on how we assess alcohol here,” Lherisson explained. “This is much more to see how we are in line with state and local laws and to see if there has been any new insights in terms of programming or support.”

After Halloween cookies were distributed, the full senate meeting was adjourned.

Swimming and diving kicks off season at Kenyon Relays

By: Ross Hickenbottom, Transcript reporter

 

Photo courtesy of the Battling Bishops website.
Photo courtesy of the Battling Bishops website.

The Ohio Wesleyan men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams participated in the Kenyon Relays this Oct. 24 in Gambier, Ohio.

In the men’s meet, the Kenyon Lords won their annual home opener with 124 points. OWU finished fifth with a total of 44 points.

The Denison Big Red won the women’s meet, scoring 120 points. OWU finished with a total of 16 points, placing seventh.

Junior Greyson Goodwin, was a part of the fourth place 200 meter freestyle relay team. He said the team’s hard practice week paid off.

“Our teams performance was representative of the amount of work we’ve put into our practices,” Goodwin said. “The team defied the expectations we had, and managed to come together to have an exceptional meet.”

Freshman Shannon Bermingham’s introduction to collegiate competition did not disappoint.

Bermingham, from Orchard Park, New York, said the electrifying meet was of a caliber she had never experienced before.

“After the meet I was very tired, but it was a great feeling to have a team fully behind you and cheering you on,” she said. “I loved the atmosphere and I’ve never had support like this before. I thought we did really well as a team.”

Bermingham plans on giving this season her all. She will be happy, regardless of the results, “as long as I have my coach and my teammates by my side anything is possible, even the hardest of times.”

Despite only being in the water for around five weeks, the Battling Bishops were very impressed with their results, but agree that improvements can be made.

Freshman Alicia Margello, a member of the 400 medley relay team that finished eleventh, now knows what it’s like to finish at the end of the pack. She plans on “improving by working hard throughout the season during practice.”

With the first meet on the books, both the men and women look to improve their results for their upcoming home conference opener against Wittenberg College on Saturday, Oct. 31.

Career Services brings employers to campus

Every spring and fall semester, the Career Services hosts a career fair for students of all class years with the hopes of helping them grow their connections and find an internship or even full-time job.

About 56 employers attended this year’s career fair, which took place on Oct. 23 in the Benes Rooms. Also attending the event were about 31 graduate schools.

Leslie Melton, director of Career Services, said they gather attendees through “a database of employers and the companies they work for which post internship and full time positions as well as graduate school admissions.”

Melton said that in addition to using their database to get employers to attend, Career Services representatives go to networking events and attend other schools career fairs looking for employers that have not yet attended the fair.

Melton went on to say that “about four or five Ohio Wesleyan alumni were in attendance of the career fair. Usually if the alum cannot attend, they send another representative from their company to attend in their place.”

Melton said the benefit of having an OWU alum attend the event is having a sense of familiarity and likeness on campus. Also, being able to set up meetings on campus with the appropriate people who can help them recruit the necessary students.

Melton said “the ultimate goal of the career fair is to get familiar with the world of work, gain experience with presenting yourself and possibly growing your connections and find a job.”

Career Services encourages all students to attend the fair including freshman: “some freshman have been offered internships and all freshman who attend will gain valuable experience.”

Senior Jerry Lherisson said “I have attended a career fair every year since freshman year. I mainly go just to see the opportunities that are out there. It’s a generally good way to network and learn about the breadth and depth of different paths that are possible after graduating Ohio Wesleyan.”

Lherission believes, “at the very least, the career fair exposes students to an aggregate of learning opportunities that they normally wouldn’t have a chance to see in one place.”

According to Melton, of the students that come to the fair looking for full time jobs, every year there are students offered jobs from connections made at the fair.

“Last year, Cincinnati’s Children’s Research Hospital hired about 6 people from Ohio Wesleyan,” Melton said.

The Career Services marketing intern, senior Jimmy Sanzone, said “I was excited to go and talk with a bunch of different employers, even some that I wasn’t originally considering. It’s a great way to network which has become such a vital part of getting a job after graduating.”

Sanzone said about 300 students were in attendance at the fair.

Career Services will also be holding an internship and summer job fair during the spring semester. Graduate schools will not be in attendance, however everyone is encouraged to attend because full­-time job employers can still appear.

On Jan. 29, the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges will be holding a career fair in Columbus. Career Services will be offering transportation to this event.

Another upcoming opportunity is the Teach Ohio fair for teaching positions in April. This fair includes an interview portion and students can be offered positions on the spot at.

Melton said “the good thing about career fairs is that you get to put yourself in front of an employer and talk in person. Where as when you apply to a job, you can feel like you’re dumping your resume into a pool as applications that may never get looked at.

In the future, Career Services is considering holding a two­-day fair because of the increasing size of the people attending the fair and the limited space on campus.

Jack of all trades

Photo by Rachel Carter.
Photo by Rachel Carter.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Wes Welker kicked a field goal against the New England Patriots in 2004. An NFL wide receiver has not kicked a field goal since.

The Ohio Wesleyan football team has a wide receiver of their own who, unlike Welker, has been kicking field goals all season long.

Junior wide receiver Tim Shadoan has gone six for eight this year kicking field goals, including two from more than 40 yards and a game­ winner.

“I enjoy kicking for the team because it’s another challenge,” Shadoan said. “It’s something that I know my teammates trust me doing.”

His biggest kick of the year came in their conference matchup against Kenyon College a week ago. He converted on a 43­yard kick in second overtime to give the Bishops the win.

“I didn’t think about much during the kick against Kenyon, I didn’t want the pressure to get to me so all I thought about was doing my job and that’s what I did,” Shadoan said.

Shadoan kicked his junior year of high school, but this is the first time he has for OWU. Mile Mackenzie, OWU’s all­conference kicker graduated in 2015. Head Coach Tom Watts spent the off-­season looking for his replacement.

“We went through the off-­season looking to see who his replacement would be,” Watts said.

“Shadoan started to kick for us when we took our team to Italy, so we were able to see what he was able to do.”

“Shadoan won the job being the most consistent,” Watts continued. “He is an extremely talented athlete and a huge competitor.”

In addition to kicking, Shadoan is leading the team with 25 catches for 206 yards. He has also tallied two touchdowns, one receiving score and one off a kick return. OWU has a current record of 2­4 and will play against Depauw University at Selby Stadium on Oct. 24.

Fall season brings change in staffing

Dennis Wall. Photo courtesy of Linkedin.
Dennis Wall. Photo courtesy of Linkedin.

During the fall season, the color of the leaves changes, the temperature changes and the flavor of your latte changes. This year, the staff at Ohio Wesleyan changed as well.

The head of Buildings and Grounds (B&G), Dennis Wall, recently quit his position.

“Dennis has been a key member of our team who can be counted on to effectively lead our skilled trades teams, manage facilities improvement projects and special events and professionally represent the buildings and grounds department in his interactions on campus,” said Peter Schantz, director of the physical plant.

Wall accepted a job with American Electric Power. The timing of the departure was due to the immediate opening of the new position.

“We have begun the search process for his replacement,” Schantz said. “Department staff will absorb his duties until the position is filled.”

Wall has worked for OWU for 20 years, has lived in Delaware for 34 years and has watched all four of his kids graduate from OWU.

“I will miss everything about OWU,” Wall said. “All of the great assets that attract students also appeal greatly to faculty and staff, and I’m no exception. Wonderful facilities, great faculty, great support staff in every department, progressive leadership, involved alumni base and Delaware is the best small town community anyone could ever hope to raise a family in.”

Wall is accepting the new position for one last challenge.

“I’m leaving OWU for one last career challenge before I retire.”

Not only will Wall miss OWU, but the Delaware community and OWU staff will miss him as well. B&G project manager Chris Chidester summed it up.

“He is a man of great character, who is very helpful and extremely knowledgeable in his field,” Chidester said. “It has been a pleasure to work with him and get to know him. He will be sorely missed in buildings and grounds and all around campus.”

Letter to the editor: the labyrinth

By: Tom Wolber, associate professor of German

 

OWU's labyrinth. Photo courtesy of Connect2OWU.
OWU’s labyrinth. Photo courtesy of Connect2OWU.

Thanks to a generous gift from the Rhinesmith family, Ohio Wesleyan University now has a spiritual labyrinth. Modeled after the circular labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral near Paris, it is situated in the shady, idyllic grove between Merrick Hall and the Delaware Run where it blends into the landscape. The official dedication and asperging (cleansing and blessing with water) took place on Monday, Oct. 5, 2015. But the labyrinth had already seen hundreds of curious visitors before that, after it was completed just prior to the start of the 2015­2016 academic year.

Passersby are clearly intrigued, but many may wonder what it all means and how it relates to OWU’s mission. Here is a humble attempt to explain some of the mysteries.

A labyrinth is not a maze, with false leads and dead ends. Unlike a maze where you lose your way, OWU’s labyrinth has a single trustworthy path that can help you find your way. However, that path follows an enigmatic series of 35 tracks that take the visitor through eleven circuits divided into four quadrants each. With a circumference of 47 feet (about 15 meters), the total length approaches 1,000 feet (about 300 meters). During medieval times, pilgrims are said to have negotiated the circuitous path on their knees, which was both humbling and challenging.

That the labyrinth is sacred ground and a magical place is obvious. For some, it may simply be a sanctuary to patiently sit and rest for a while and to meditate in peace and quiet – a much­-needed respite in our noisy, fast­-moving world. There is a demand for retreats that encourage introspection. For others, the path may simply be a metaphor for the many unpredictable twists and turns that the journey of life has in store for us. The path can also be seen as a teacher in the never-­ending quest for knowledge and enlightenment. That would certainly jive with OWU’s educational mission. Is the path the key to a deeper understanding of the human condition, both conscious and subconscious? That, too, would be a perfectly plausible explanation. Some look at labyrinths as medicine tools and their paths as vehicles for hope and healing of that which is broken. Is it the path to the mysteries of the divine? That, likewise, goes well with OWU’s legacy as a religious institution founded by Methodism. The labyrinth is probably all of the above, and more. Thus, it is a laboratory where all kinds of research can be conducted, epiphanies had, and discoveries made. For example, some scholars have argued that the four quadrants may represent the four earthly elements of water, fire, earth, and air and that the twelve circles (including the center) may represent the planetary zodiac signs.

The labyrinth is symbolic of the indomitable quest for truth and fulfillment. It is a place where the body and the mind connect. Essentially built with rock and sand, the labyrinth nevertheless allows visitors to leave behind everything that is earthly and to soar above the mundane. It is a testimony to the dual nature of humankind, which is at home in both the physical (flesh) and metaphysical (spirit). Also, is it a coincidence that the convoluted path of the labyrinth is reminiscent of the twists and turns of the human brain, resembling a map and a blueprint? This labyrinth, and all mazes and labyrinths, has archetypal depth and fulfills a primal need, for “man does not live by bread alone.” Thus, the labyrinth is a mystical place that allows us to dream and to raise our soul to a higher level. It is also a place where body and soul, solitude and community, freedom and captivity, heaven and earth, cosmos and chaos meet and form a mystical “coincidentia oppositorum” where time and space are suspended and transcended. As such, however, the labyrinth also instructs us that certain things will forever remain unknowable and unfathomable, given the limits of human epistemological understanding.

Life Trustee Kathe Law Rhinesmith, class of 1964, has referred to the labyrinth as a tribute to and celebration of the human spirit and soul. She has also made it clear that OWU’s labyrinth is not about proselytizing. Instead, it was constructed with a non­-denominational, non­-sectarian goal in mind. The labyrinth is intended to resonate with people of all faiths, or no faith at all. The internationally renowned builder, Marty Kermeen of Illinois-­based Labyrinths in Stone, and his assistant, David Keller, are in agreement with that tenet, pointing out that labyrinths have been in existence for many millennia, pre­-dating Christianity by thousands of years. The labyrinth is also designed to be open and accessible to the public – school children, church members, concertgoers and dog walkers. There are no barriers, fees, or rules of any kind. Everyone is invited to seek knowledge and wisdom. The labyrinth does not require that its path be followed.

But the path is there, patiently awaiting anyone ready and willing to go on a transformational adventure.

OWU grad uses economics to shape health care

Photo courtesy of the Harvard website.
William Hsiao ’59. Photo courtesy of the Harvard website.

Eleven countries and one city-state have health care systems shaped by an Ohio Wesleyan University graduate.

William Hsiao, class of 1959, returned to his alma mater this week to receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree for his work in designing health care reforms and universal health insurance programs.

“Hsiao exemplifies the ideal of moral leadership in a global society,” President Rock Jones said.

Hsiao said “[he] was flabbergasted” when informed about the honorary degree. “To me, what I was doing [was]…what I found interesting and doing the best that I [could]. Many people do that.”

Hsiao, who received his doctorate in economics from Harvard University, shaped health system reforms and universal health insurance programs for China, Colombia, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Poland, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, Uganda, Vietnam and the United States.”

Robert Gitter, professor of economics at OWU, described him as a very humble person.

Hsiao, who graduated from OWU with degrees in mathematics and physics, said he “never thought [he] would be a teacher and a researcher.” He applied to be an actuary for the federal government.

Gitter explained that “[Hsiao] realized as an actuary he wasn’t really dealing with a lot of the big questions,” such as the impact specific economic decisions have on people and how they affect the economy overall.

Once Hsiao realized what he was missing, he went back to school. “It [seemed] like economists are the ones wrestling with those big issues,” Hsiao said.

He credited OWU with developing his interest in the larger picture. He discovered “how [ethics and moral principles] should guide our lives.” A liberal arts education “[opens] up your spirit, your mind and your interpersonal relations.”

The BishopNet we all deserve

Technology has become much more sophisticated in the past few years. While students have no problem keeping up with the new technology, larger establishments, like universities, tend to struggle.

Ohio Wesleyan is no different.

The infamous BishopNet, OWU’s wireless portal to the internet, tends to be a shared enemy all students face. Many take to social media to complain. Junior Jeremy Griffin-­Jackson called it “unreliable.”

It’s not uncommon to hear horror stories of BishopNet dropping in the middle of a very important task or homework. Griffin­Jackson explained, “It has its moment, but then it drops you.”

Cuckoo Gupta, a transfer student, was surprised by the poor quality. She noted that “compared to [her] old school, [BishopNet] is noticeably worse.”

Brian Rellinger, OWU’s chief information officer, says that the slowed performance could be attributed to various factors. “Streaming media services place demands on the network that did not exist in 2007 when the equipment was last updated,” he said. An increase in devices per student has also contributed to the strain.

But the struggle students have been facing may soon be coming to an end.

Rellinger confirmed that new access points to BishopNet are being installed across campus. He is confident that the upgrades being made will improve wireless connectivity for all.

“New access points that are being installed are the latest generation and are replacing equipment that is approximately seven years old,” said Rellinger. “The new equipment will offer the latest advancements in wireless network performance and coverage.”

“As of Oct. 15, installation in 4 Williams Drive, Stuyvesant Hall and Welch Hall has been completed,” Rellinger continued. “All of the equipment was purchased with existing funds from Information Services, and the money was made available through various internal cost­-saving measures within our department and required no external funding or budget increases.”

With upgrades nearing completion, OWU students just might get the BishopNet they deserve.